Orchestra Takes Last Bow Tonight

April 2, 1993|By Steven Brown And Tom Burton Of The Sentinel Staff

The clear tones of a Bach violin sonata rang out across the empty seats of Orlando's Carr Performing Arts Centre. Lev Gurevich was only testing the sound of his violin Thursday morning, but the musician might as well have been playing a requiem for the Florida Symphony Orchestra.

A day after the symphony board voted to shut down the financially drained group at the end of the week, Gurevich should have been rehearsing with his colleagues for scheduled concerts Thursday and Saturday. But when a third of the musicians did not appear, the remainder agreed there were too many missing to perform a Tchaikovsky symphony. So the group canceled the rehearsal and performances. Tonight's pops concert will be its last.

''I was going to play,'' Gurevich, the FSO's assistant concertmaster, said of the Thursday night performance. ''But I understand people's feelings.''

The orchestra will perform tonight as scheduled in a pops concert at Carr with pianist-comedian Victor Borge. About 200 tickets remain.

Borge's publicist said the entertainer waived most of his fee on condition that the money go to the orchestra's players, who have not been paid in a month.

That concert will be the last for the 43-year-old orchestra, which has been weighed down by deficits for years. The final blow came two weeks ago when the FSO ran out of money and could not pay its 65 players and 10 staff members. Unable to get loan guarantees from local governments this week, the FSO's leaders voted 45-11 to disband the group.

Other FSO developments Thursday:

- The orchestra's leaders said they expect to begin sending refunds next week to those who ordered subscriptions for next season's events. The organization has about $150,000 from such sales, FSO president Robert McGinnis said.

The FSO faces about $600,000 in debts - back payrolls, bills from vendors and tickets that patrons hold to this season's canceled concerts. Those patrons cannot get refunds.

Although the FSO's leaders have not filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors, McGinnis would not rule out doing so eventually.

''We're trying to determine if there are any ways to generate funds,'' McGinnis said, though he acknowledged he didn't know where that money might come from. ''Surely it would be in the best interest of our creditors to let us proceed. . . . If you don't have any assets, what is the value to a creditor of trying to force you into court?''

- The FSO's staff was deluged with calls from subscribers, press and others. Most callers expressed sadness at the orchestra's demise and indicated their support for the FSO's musicians and staff, McGinnis said. ''Virtually none'' were angry about the cancellation of the rest of the season, he added.

- United Arts of Central Florida president James Schott said his organization and the FSO will compare records to see if United Arts still owes the orchestra part of its allocation for this season. The FSO may have about $20,000 coming to it.

The FSO's closing came at the midpoint of the spring fund drive of United Arts, which raises money for area cultural groups.

''Anybody with any feeling at all for the importance of cultural programs has to feel a little empty today with the loss of the symphony,'' Schott said. But he emphasized that United Arts' other six main beneficiaries - which receive all their donation money from United Arts - are still running and still in need of support.

- Borge agreed to drastically cut his fee for the FSO's farewell tonight. According to a statement released by Borge's manager, he agreed to perform if the bulk of the proceeds went to the FSO's musicians.

''This situation is a shame,'' Borge said. ''As a fellow musician, I want to do what I can to help.''

No one among the orchestra's musicians or office staff - including McGinnis - has been paid since March 4, the FSO president said.

As the players showed up Thursday for their 10 a.m. rehearsal, they found white slips on their chairs explaining how to file for unemployment. They heard McGinnis explain how the FSO would not be able to pay them. The players then discussed their options, often emotionally, and voted to perform Thursday night.

During a break, however, at least half a dozen players left the auditorium, one in tears. The players discussed with associate conductor Andrews Sill the fact that their cello section was at less than half strength - three players instead of the usual seven. Their principal clarinet player also was gone. They could not have done justice to Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony.

The musicians agreed to cancel the performances and began to leave the auditorium. With them was Christy Filegar, 17, a junior at Clermont High School. She had accompanied horn player Arnold Mascaro as a job shadow - to get an idea of what it's like to be a symphony player.

Soon violinist Gurevich was the only musician left, playing to the empty auditorium.

Later Thursday, Gurevich was playing Bach again, this time for a about two dozen patrons who had shown up at Carr not knowing the evening's concert had been canceled.

''I'm not sure where to turn now,'' said symphony subscriber Bob Olson of Orlando.

Pointing to a stream of sports fans heading into the Orlando Arena for an Orlando Magic game, Olson said, ''There's quite a contrast between what you see going on at the arena and what you see here.''

Gurevich and three fellow musicians took turns playing violin solos for the patrons gathered under the awning in front of Carr. Violinist Jennifer Savastano had come up with the idea.